tar pits park

jsimmill

I found the easiest way to see the tar pits is to walk down Dump Rd to the rail tracks and take the path to the right immediately after the tracks. Walk along the cliffs and you'll come across a gully which gives easy access to the beach. Very worth while examining and poking the tar. Be careful of your shoes!!

happytravelerusa9

Beach area is gorgeous. (Try to forget about the oil rigs way out from shore.) The hiking trail is lovely. The tar pits actually look like large black rock areas on shore. However, we were told by a local that when the weather is hot, the tar is still sometimes pliable and kids like playing with it. (Pity the parents who have to clean them and their clothes up afterwards!)

littleshep

This is a nice little walk and the tar is pretty cool. It isn't pits like La Brea but it is coming out of the rocks and is hard to miss. We got the guy at the entrance to the park to point us in the right direction. He also suggested we park outside of the park so we didn't have to pay. I normally like supporting our parks by giving them money but he did have a point, that the park was about to close etc. If I am ever back in Carpinteria again I will definitely go back to see these.

travelinm2014

There are not too many places you can see tar/oil coming out of the ground. This is not a large area and it is not marked but we saw it as we walked from the beach up on the bluffs toward the harbor Seal Rookery. It's small and interesting but the nature walk along the bluffs and watching the harbor Seal is definitely the highlight!

pvdesign

I believe Carpinteria is the best place to relax around Los Angeles. Several historical places to visit, without the rush in Santa Barbara.One of the surprises Carpinteria offers is these tar spots along the beach. It's interesting to see a phenomenon rarer even than volcanism, as it only occurs in 5 or 6 places in the world. Curiously, 3 of these places are in California.You can access it either from Carpinteria State Beach, walk a few yards to the left and you will reach them, or from Dump Rd (shorter way) - in this case, it's best to come walking or by bike, as you have to go through a private property on the way.It's interesting to see the tar oozing right below your feet. Sometimes you may find a bubble of gas coming out from the tar. In some places you only need to scrape the sand a little bit to see the tar. Just watch your step because if you stay too long over the tar your shoes might get stuck. Nothing serious, tough.Definitely worth the visit. Our planet houses a lot of interesting phenomenons, and learning about them is definitely a gift.

ac6804

Walked a ways aand saw lots of random spots of tar and then lots on the beach. Careful not to stand in one place too long or your shoes will be ruined.Park at state park and walk. GPS with take you to a private parking lot ththat you can't use.

InesPontes

This is a very quiet and nice place to see in Carpinteria... it´s a very preserved place where you can see the seals in their natural environment: stay some minuts and enjoy the beauty of the nature.

macnicol

Bring lots of tar remover and watch your step. Fascinating oozing of tar out of several locations. The entire coastal cliffs are the result of millions of years of tar accumulation. Chumash Indians used the tar to water proof their canoes and water baskets.

DrJamie

Oceanfront with picnic tables and campgrounds nearby. Experience the tar pits first hand and see why the Chumash Indians named the area Carpinteria. Be careful of the naturally ocurring tar which can be removed with baby oil and some rough paper towels

NanarooGrampyFred

Wonderful, fascinating tidepools, a great blue heron (among other cool sea birds), interesting natural tar/oil seepage from the rocks, (I remove tar with cooking oil.) Fun place to watch good surfing when there's a big swell from the cliff above.

glassgirl3

A unique Carpenteria park, you can park or camp with your RV in the state beach campgrounds and enjoy the ocean and walk to tar pits and there are seals close by . Carpenteria is a fabulous seaside town

Rpstory

It was interesting to us that many locals weren't aware of the tarpits are said they weren't worth seeing. However, we wanted to see them anyway. It was a nice long walk on the beach and once we saw a few of the rocky solidified tar we thought it was strange and not that interesting. However, we kept walking and came across tar just seeping out of the cliff. Really cool!!!! I think many people must not walk that far to see the actual wet tar. Very unique.

slickLosAngeles

I read about the tar pit in a park along the beach in Carpenteria,CA, south of Santa Barbara, and we thought it would be interesting to visit it. We never found the tar pit altough we did find some tar near the cliffs that had congealed and was made sticky by the sun. No one in the area even knew what we were talkiing about when we asked for directions. We had a nice walk along the beach and the bluffs but we never did find the tar pit.You would that being one of only 5 in the world would make it better know among the locals; but it doesn't. Pretty area and right next to Carpenteria State Beach.

thrall

About 12 miles east of Santa Barbara on the 101, this natural "lake" of tar was buried in sediment but exposed in a bluff cut by the ocean waves. It has been mined as natural asphalt by Native Americans and in the 20th century. It oozes out and is sticky in a few places, but typically it's a mostly-solidified flow that once crept (slowly creeps?) over beach cobbles and sand. It's strange and beautiful and a bit alien and good nerdy fun. It's very different from your average beach experience, and there are camping sites right in the park. A seal colony lives nearby too. It's on the eastern end of the Carpinteria State Beach, and there are few signs.

Oldmoviefan

For only ten dollars you can park your car and stay all day at the Tar Pits Beach. The crashing waves on the beach and the big rocks covered in natural tar were very impressive. It has been added to one of my favorite beauty spots in the country. I wish we had had a camper so we could camp at the state park campsite. It is on a bluff near the beach and I imagine the wind is cold at some times of the year but in May when we visited it was not too chilly. Near the park is a wetland that looked very interesting.